The Gagauz National Museum of History and Ethnography

After visiting Comrat, the capital of the Gagauzian semi-independent territory of south Moldova, we drove half an hour further on to visit the Gagauz National Museum of History and Ethnography in Besalma village:

Back in Comrat, our Polish tour guide had explained that the Gagauzians (Gagauz) were originally ethnic Turks who converted from Islam to Eastern Orthodox Christianity a few hundred years ago.

Inside the museum, the historical artifacts of the Gagauzian people were incredibly beautiful:

In the museum hallway, the Moldovan and Gagauzian flags were placed together side by side:

After a quick search on the internet, I've just discovered that the museum was founded in 1966 (the year of my birth) by D. Cara-Ciobanu (who devoted his life to promoting and safeguarding Gagauzian culture and folklore), and that the main purpose of the museum is to portray the history, culture, and daily life of the Gagauzian people from ancient to modern times through the work of well-known Gagauzian artists, poets, and writers.

Below, there is a shot of the small, cosy cinema inside the museum:

Must say that the Gagauzian women who showed us round the museum were very friendly and incredibly passionate about their culture and history.  Also just discovered from the internet that these guides are the children of the museum founder, D. Cara-Ciobanu.